Small-flock turkey production

Raising turkeys can be a
satisfying educational activity as well as a source of economical, high-quality
meat for your family and friends. By raising a small flock of turkeys, you can
produce the freshest turkey possible while involving the whole family in
working with and learning about live animals. Turkeys can easily be started by
hatching eggs or by raising young poults. They can be grown and home processed
without the use of expensive processing equipment, or they may be sold to live
markets (auctions) or to neighbors. Turkeys are either of two bird species in
the family Meleagrididae (order Galliformes). The best known is the common
turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), a game bird native to North America but widely
domesticated for the table. The other species is Agriocharis (or Meleagris)
ocellata, the ocellated turkey.

The common turkey was
probably first domesticated by the Indians of pre-Columbian Mexico. The birds
were first taken to Spain about 1519, and from Spain they spread throughout
Europe, reaching England in 1541. When the birds became popular in England,
they were called by the name turkey-cock, a name formerly used for the guinea
fowl of Islamic lands. English colonists then introduced Euro- pean-bred
strains of the turkey to eastern North America in the 17th century. Turkeys
were bred mainly for their beautifully colored plumage until about 1935, after
which the breeding emphasis changed to their meat qualities.

Adult males have a naked,
heavily carunculated (bumpy) head that normally is bright red but that turns to
white overlaid with bright blue when the birds are excited. Other
distinguishing features of the common turkey are a long red fleshy ornament
(called a snood) that grows from the forehead over the bill; a fleshy wattle
growing from the throat; a tuft of coarse, black, hairy feathers (known as a
beard) projecting from the breast; and more or less promi- nent leg spurs. The
male wild turkey (variously called a gobbler, tom, or jake—immature male), may
be 50 inches long and weigh up to 22 pounds, although the average weight is
less. Female turkeys (hens) generally weigh only half as much and have less
warty heads. Domesticated strains of the common turkey, developed for their
fine- tasting flesh, may be much heavier.

In many European countries
roast turkey has long been a customary Christmas dish. In the United States the
bird is especially associated with Thanksgiving. Turkey production has thus
tended to be seasonal, although in the United States and some other countries,
ready-to-cook, lean, boned turkey is available in rolls any time of the year.